D.C. vibes are bad — so we're all pretending to be kids again
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The vibes in D.C. are ... not good, and all this talk about a local recession has some folks going full adult baby and craving recess.
The big picture: Nostalgia is big in the national zeitgeist, from movie remakes to '90s fashion and aughts branding.
- But in D.C. — amid mass layoffs, a federal takeover and everything else — there's a particularly intense yearning for simpler times.
- We're not talking '90s-cocktail-simpler (though cosmos are back). We've reached full kid-in-a-suit, e.g. adult spelling bees.
Zoom in: Restaurants are embracing the "pre-internet trend" — and it's boosting business.
- Local chain Silver Diner launched an "Unplug" night this summer — returning to its '90s roots. No screens or phones at tables, just board games.
- Reps tell Axios that sales — flat last spring — immediately jumped: up 5% for kids' meals alone. It's been so successful, Silver Diner is extending Unplug through Thanksgiving.
Meanwhile, cell-free restaurant Hush Harbor just opened on H Street NE. Folks who need to make calls can use a throwback landline. And for influencers who want to influence, disposable cameras for sale.
- Owner Rock Harper tells Axios people of all ages are coming — including young workers eager for a digital detox.
What they're saying: "It's really nice to get away from it all, especially now," Harper, 48, tells Axios. "People think, 'How did they used to live?' We just lived! We didn't need to know everything at all times."
Between the lines: Nostalgia is manifesting itself in smaller ways too.
- Take "adult lunchables," now served at Shaw's Ugly Duckling bar. The "sophisticated take on the nostalgic meal of our youth," according to owners, comes in TV-esque trays with nice cheese, charcuterie and crackers.
Meanwhile, it's hard to fixate on phrases like "stopgap spending bill" when you're trying to dodge humongous swinging foam axes — one of over 50 games at Tysons' new adult entertainment center, Level 99.
- Other distractions include escape room-like games, group puzzles, and obstacle courses — plus a restaurant from Victory Brewing. (Adult babies should be burped after every beer bottle-feeding during playtime.)
If you need to self-soothe during a meltdown via screen time, head to the newly opened Continues Arcade, an arcade bar in Alexandria stocked with over 50 vintage games.
- Plus: Skee Ball, a claw machine, pinball and snack-time fuel including sheet tray nachos and a Donkey Kong cocktail.
What's next: Channel your inner 12-year-old at Race the District, a Go-Kart spectacular taking over Union Market Oct. 9-12.
- The days-long race event features go-karting for all ages and sim racing experiences at F1 Arcade.
Plus, a block party headlined by — who else? — Louis the Child.